Personnel in protective coveralls and breathing equipment work at the Salisbury District Hospital in Salisbury, southern England in connection with the major incident sparked after a man and a woman were apparently poisoned in a nerve agent attack. Daniel Leal-Olivas/ AFP Photo
Personnel in protective coveralls and breathing equipment work at the Salisbury District Hospital in Salisbury, southern England in connection with the major incident sparked after a man and a woman were apparently poisoned in a nerve agent attack. Daniel Leal-Olivas/ AFP Photo
Personnel in protective coveralls and breathing equipment work at the Salisbury District Hospital in Salisbury, southern England in connection with the major incident sparked after a man and a woman were apparently poisoned in a nerve agent attack. Daniel Leal-Olivas/ AFP Photo
Personnel in protective coveralls and breathing equipment work at the Salisbury District Hospital in Salisbury, southern England in connection with the major incident sparked after a man and a woman w

Russian spy poisoning: nerve agent traces found at pizza restaurant – report


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Traces of the nerve agent used in the attack against a former Russian double agent and his daughter have been found at a restaurant they ate in before falling ill on Sunday, according to the BBC.

Sergei and Yulia Skripal were found on a bench in Salisbury two hours after eating at Zizzi, an Italian restaurant.

Zizzi remains closed by police as the investigation continues.

Earlier on Saturday, counter-terror police said they had identified 240 witnesses linked to the poisoning, but officials said it was still too early to say who was responsible for the attack.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said officers had traced some 200 pieces of evidence in the investigation into the nerve agent attack that has left Colonel Skripal, 66, and his daughter, 33, critically ill in hospital.

"This investigation is focused on making sure that we keep people safe and also that we collect all the evidence so that when it comes to attribution we will be absolutely clear where it should be," she said after a meeting with investigators and senior officials.

The UK said it would seek assistance from Nato and employ the "full force" of its resources to respond to the poisoning.

The investigation had been focused on the home of Mr Skripal on Saturday amid growing belief that the former spy was poisoned at his home in the small city of Salisbury, 130km south-west of London.

Suspicion had fallen on the property because a police officer, Nick Bailey, fell ill after being among the first people to visit Mr Skripal’s house. He remains seriously ill in hospital but is well enough to sit up and talk with his family, said Ms Rudd.

The Russian state has been identified as the most likely suspect for the attack in an act of revenge against the former intelligence officer, who was convicted in 2006 of selling state secrets to MI6. He was released as part of a spy swap four years later.

Experts suggested that assassins could have broken into his house to spike drinks or food or that Ms Skripal unwittingly brought a tainted gift into the country while visiting from Russia.

The pair were only stricken while walking through the city on Sunday after leaving the house and going for a meal and drink together.

“There are lots of things that the United Kingdom can do,” Security Minister Ben Wallace told the BBC. “It is a powerful country with a powerful economy, powerful allies, powerful military and powerful other capabilities and we shall look at those all.”

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British media reports suggested that Prime Minister Theresa May could announce sanctions against Russia as early as Monday if experts conclude that Russia was behind the attack.

The government has urged caution before the source of the agent is known, but ministers have already raised the prospect of some form of boycott of the World Cup, due to be held in Russia later this year, and a longer-term build-up of troops in eastern Europe.

“We mustn't get ahead of ourselves but we must have a robust response and it's something that we'll be discussing with our Nato partners and with the forthcoming summit in Brussels in July,” said Tobias Ellwood, a Defence Minister.

“Some big questions arise as to how do you stand up to a clandestine and sinister attack deliberately done to play havoc in our society?”

Military chemical experts were continuing their work on Saturday in the city, including at the grave of Mr Skripal’s wife Liudmila, who was buried in 2012, and the memorial stone of his son Alexander, who was cremated last year.

Officers in protection suits were seen stuffing items in several yellow barrels, believed to be flowers left by Mr Skripal before he was stricken by the nerve agent.

Russia has denied any involvement in the attack that has left some 21 people needing medical treatment.

"We are accused not only of this, but of everything that, in the view of our Western partners, is wrong on this planet," said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday.

New details have emerged about the life of Mr Skripal, who was codenamed "Agent Forthwith" after he was first identified as a potential recruit in 1995 while he was stationed in Spain, according to The Times newspaper.

Even after he was jailed and finally returned to the UK, he continued to conduct monthly meetings with his former handler at a restaurant in the city, according to the newspaper, raising the prospect that he was still in active intelligence work.

He was known to have retained links with private security firms, including one co-founded by Christopher Steele, the former head of MI6’s Russia desk and who compiled the salacious dossier about Donald Trump.

The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

RESULTS

Time; race; prize; distance

4pm: Maiden; (D) Dh150,000; 1,200m
Winner: General Line, Xavier Ziani (jockey), Omar Daraj (trainer)

4.35pm: Maiden (T); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Travis County, Adrie de Vries, Ismail Mohammed

5.10pm: Handicap (D); Dh175,000; 1,200m
Winner: Scrutineer, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe

5.45pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Yulong Warrior, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

6.20pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Ejaaby, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson

6.55pm: Handicap (D); Dh160,000; 1,600m
Winner: Storyboard, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

7.30pm: Handicap (D); Dh150,000; 2,200m
Winner: Grand Dauphin, Gerald Mosse, Ahmed Al Shemaili

8.05pm: Handicap (T); Dh190,000; 1,800m
Winner: Good Trip, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Anxiety and work stress major factors

Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.

A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.

Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.

One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.

It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."

Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.

“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi. 

“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."

Daniel Bardsley

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

While you're here
Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels

A MINECRAFT MOVIE

Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Dubai World Cup factbox

Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)

Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)

Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)

Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Soldier F

“I was in complete disgust at the fact that only one person was to be charged for Bloody Sunday.

“Somebody later said to me, 'you just watch - they'll drop the charge against him'. And sure enough, the charges against Soldier F would go on to be dropped.

“It's pretty hard to think that 50 years on, the State is still covering up for what happened on Bloody Sunday.”

Jimmy Duddy, nephew of John Johnson

The Lowdown

Kesari

Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Anubhav Singh
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Parineeti Chopra

 

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

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Expert advice

“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”

Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles

“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”

Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre 

“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”

Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
 

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%3Cp%3E1.%20Baghdad%2C%20Iraq%3Cbr%3E2.%20Manama%2C%20Bahrain%3Cbr%3E3.%20Dhahran%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%3Cbr%3E4.%20Kuwait%20City%2C%20Kuwait%3Cbr%3E5.%20Ras%20Al%20Khaimah%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E6.%20Ash%20Shihaniyah%2C%20Qatar%3Cbr%3E7.%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E8.%20Cairo%2C%20Egypt%3Cbr%3E9.%20Riyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%3Cbr%3E10.%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%202022%20World%20Air%20Quality%20Report%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MOST%20POLLUTED%20COUNTRIES%20IN%20THE%20WORLD
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